It's Time I Said My Last Goodbye
by Ceri Moriarty
Summary: "Ever since he could remember, Isa had known this day would come. Even now, he could feel himself fading away." Oneshot, AU.


Ever since he could remember, Isa had known this day would come. It was inevitable, unavoidable, inescapable. It was his destiny.

Even now, he could feel himself fading away. He had been fading ever since that first time, ever since that first run in the moonlight. He knew the consequences of continuing to run night after night, month after month, but running was so _wonderful_ that it pushed all concerns to the back of Isa's mind. He promised himself he would change it, but always tomorrow. Always just one more run. Just one more day trying to bridge the gap between two worlds.

Now, there were no more days. His human mind was slipping into darkness to be entirely replaced by the wolf. Already scents and sounds were sharper and sight without color. Tonight would be his last night as Isa, the human. Tomorrow, he would not wake up. Instead, there would be just another wolf in town, maybe a little smarter than its brethren, but with no connection to who it had been.

_Do you have any regrets?_ That was the question his mother had asked before she turned him out, tears in her eyes.

The answer was yes. Yes, he had regrets. He regretted not doing something to stop this while he still had time. He regretted having to leave the human world behind. He regretted that he would disappear completely.

He regretted having to leave Lea. Lea his best friend and worst enemy, Lea who knew nothing about Isa's other world, Lea who would be confused and hurt and angry about this.

Isa sighed quietly and rolled over so he was lying on his back in the thick grass of the park. The sun was sinking slowly into the trees and all the children had gone home for the day.

"Isa? What are you doing out here?"

Isa was on his feet in a flash, his shoulder-length blue hair settling as he froze, staring wide-eyed at Lea. Already Isa's ears were traveling slowly up his head, already his eyes were changing to those of a wolf. "L-lea?" he asked, and it was difficult to shape words, now. "I might ask you the same question."

"I was looking for you." Lea stood casually, his hands in his pockets and his shoulders thrown back, but Isa could smell the tension radiating off him in waves. "Seriously, what are you doing? It's time to go home."

Isa's eyes almost—almost—filled with tears. It was close, but he managed to blink them back. "I can't return home, Lea."

"Why not?" Lea asked.

"Because of certain circumstances which I don't have time to explain to you," Isa replied. "Now go. Get out of here before the sun sets and you might be able to get away in time."

"What? No!" Lea seemed utterly confused at the concept that he might leave his friend. "What are you talking about, anyway? Is there going to be a monster or something here after the sun sets?"

_Yes. Me,_ Isa thought. _I'm the monster that will appear after the sun sets._ "I don't have time to explain," he said aloud. "Get out of here. Now."

"No way! I'm not leaving my friend behind to get eaten by monsters!" Lea declared, striking a heroic pose.

Isa glanced at the setting sun. It was just brushing the horizon. "Lea. I mean it. Get out of here _now_ and you might survive. I'll be fine. Go home."

Lea saw that Isa was serious. His posture changed; his shoulders drooped forwards and he seemed to shrink minutely. "Oh. Well, okay. If you're sure." He turned and left, the light from the sun highlighting his fiery red hair. Isa watched him go, then turned to watch the sun set.

As it drifted slowly below the horizon, Isa remembered the letter he had asked his mother to give to Lea a week after he'd disappeared.

_Dear Lea:_

_ This letter shouldn't be this hard to write, but it is. There are a couple things that you don't know about me, but this one is the biggest secret I've ever kept from you. Hopefully, you'll believe me; it _is_ a bit fantastical._

_ I'm a werewolf. Yes, I change into a wolf every full moon. That's the definition. The thing is, every time I change, a little piece of my human self gets left behind. Over the past while, I've been falling away piece by piece. One week ago (if my mother gave this to you at the correct time), the person known as Isa died, leaving only the wolf behind. I didn't tell you about this beforehand because I didn't want you to worry._

_ I won't ask you not to be sad, because I know it's not in your nature. But please, don't throw everything away because of this. Everybody dies, Lea. It's the nature of things. I'm just dying a little differently from most people._

_ I love you. You are my best friend and nothing can change that. I may not be the best at expressing what I truly feel, but here and now, I can tell you._

_ Live your life to the fullest, Lea. Be the best person you can be and know that I'll be watching you and cheering you on. Don't let yourself fall into darkness, Lea. I know you're better than that. You can do it._

_ Love, Isa_

The sun was almost completely below the horizon now. As the darkness of night swept over the world, the wolf's darkness swept over Isa's mind, wiping it clean. The wolf raised its head and sniffed at the air, then trotted off into the gathering night.

_a/n: This was written in something like twenty minutes yesterday. The first line popped into my head and said "WRITE ME," so I did. That's the second time this's happened._

_The title is from the song _Wishes_, by Superchick._

_The love Isa's talking about is purely platonic, by the way. Completely and purely platonic with no romantic overtones, undertones, or in-betweentones at all._

_Isa and Lea are Saïx's and Axel's respective Somebodies._

_It's my headcanon that Isa/Saïx is a werewolf, at least in any AU I write._

_This is completely AU and has no relation to any story I've ever written or will write._

_Kingdom Hearts is not mine._


End file.
